Oil and Gas Properties (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Composition of exploration expenses
Lease rental (income) expense	$ (68,205)		$ 70,839
Geological and geophysical	197,452	374,782	591,909
Settled asset retirement obligations	163,404	620,630	304,574
Total	292,651	995,412	967,322
Impairment and abandonment expenses
Impairment and abandonment of proved properties	114,365,871		473,105
Impairment and abandonment of unproved properties	3,524,368	14,954,633	21,780,954
Total	117,890,239	14,954,633	22,254,059
Oil and gas property dispositions
Oil and gas properties			2,601,997
Accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairments			(1,406,066)
Net oil and gas properties			1,195,931
Net loss resulting from dispositions of assets			(1,100,000)
Capitalized exploratory well costs pending determination of proved reserves for periods less than one year		3,500,000
East Texas acreage
Impairment and abandonment expenses
Impairment and abandonment of unproved properties		12,200,000
Total			22,300,000
Individually insignificant acreage
Impairment and abandonment expenses
Impairment and abandonment of unproved properties	3,000,000	2,800,000
South and East Texas
Impairment and abandonment expenses
Impairment and abandonment of proved properties	$ 114,400,000